We keep them separate ... aikido is aikiken and aikijo. The traditional sword and staff are separate. While some aikido students train in the traditional weapons, not all.

I did som qi gong practise some years ago and it made me conscious about how I align my hipbone with my spine.. my stance, how deep it is.. how to (try and) relax the shoulders, the knees, overall weight distribution...small adjustments, small improvements I guess.. refining the basic stance and movements..
Maybe you have similar experiences with your other weapons practise that inspired you to look at your aikido in other ways than usual..